[Jpost] Samir Ragheb, President of the Arab Foundation for Development and Strategic Studies, told TML that although El-Sayed "carries weight across the Arab and Muslim worlds … Cairo heard criticism."
From Cairo to the Gulf, analysts see the Democratic takeover of Congress as a potential turning point for US military assistance, relations with Israel, and the confrontation with Iran, while stressing that Arab governments are unlikely to abandon their long-term strategic calculations.
The Democratic Party’s sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, securing control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, has raised new questions across the Middle East about the future of Washington’s regional policies, its military commitments, and the balance of power between the White House and Congress.
For Arab countries, the implications extend beyond US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... 's and the Republican Party's domestic political defeat. With the ongoing confrontation involving Iran, growing scrutiny of American military assistance to Israel, and the emergence of progressive Arab and Moslem political figures in Washington, the election results are being examined through the broader lens of regional security and economic interests.
For Egypt, El-Sayed's victory presents a more complicated picture.
Although his Egyptian background and criticism of American military involvement in the Middle East attracted attention, his previous remarks about Egypt's political system generated controversy.
EL-SAYED CARRIED WEIGHT ACROSS ARAB, MUSLIM WORLDS
"Abdul El-Sayed
… the Muslim Brotherhood’s man in Michigan, more fully Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. The overly groomed, medically trained non-doctor who went to school on a Soros scholarship is seriously connected — Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR/Islamic Society of North America, Nation of Islam, Al Qaeda, Cenk Uyghur’s nephew Hasan Piker — through his father, his birth mother, his father-in-law, his half-sister, his relatives back home in Egypt, he’s connected through them to the key Sunni jihadi groups of the hijra, the law, and the sword…
carries weight across the Arab and Moslem worlds. He is a Moslem of Egyptian descent and the first Moslem elected to the US Senate. His positions on Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... and his opposition to the Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... war won him wide sympathy in the Arab street, the Egyptian street included. We felt it here too. But his statements after his primary win changed that," Samir Ragheb, President of the Arab Foundation for Development and Strategic Studies, told The Media Line.
"He said his family came from 'a country without democracy' and said he would not fund what he called a 'strangling grip' on the Egyptian people. Cairo heard criticism, not friendship, and public opinion split. Supporters of the national path found his words offensive. Others asked why an American politician would take such a position against Egypt," he added.
El-Sayed's remarks, made after his Democratic primary victory in August, targeted US taxpayer funding and what he described as a lack of democracy in Egypt. He has also opposed unconditional American military assistance to other countries, including Israel.
Ragheb cautioned against assuming that an American politician's ethnic or religious identity would necessarily translate into policies favorable to the country of his family's origin.
"Perspective matters. He is one of a hundred senators. We do not see him as an enemy or as a friend. We do not count on him to do good, and we do not fear he will do harm. He is American first, born and raised in the US, and his loyalties lie there. We may welcome him, but we should not mistake him for one of us. His real impact is yet to unfold," he noted.
His assessment underscores a distinction between the symbolic importance of Arab and Moslem representation in American institutions and the practical consequences such representation may have for bilateral relations.
Yet assessments from Egypt and Bahrain suggest that the Democratic victory does not necessarily translate into an immediate transformation of American foreign policy. Instead, it imposes new political constraints on an administration that will retain executive power for another two years, while Arab governments continue pursuing strategies to reduce their dependence on Washington.
"The Democratic wins in both the House and the Senate come as no surprise to those tracking recent US polling and public sentiment," a former Bahraini diplomat told The Media Line, requesting anonymity and attribution only by that description.
The November 3 elections handed Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... control of both chambers of Congress, following a campaign dominated by concerns over the cost of living, the economic consequences of the Iran war, and dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's policies.
The incoming Congress, which takes office on January 3, 2027, will have greater authority to conduct oversight, investigate administration decisions, and influence federal spending. Nevertheless, Trump will remain president and retain significant power over diplomacy, military operations, and foreign policy.
For Cairo, this distinction remains fundamental.
"Congress has changed hands, but Egypt's calculations have not. Cairo watches the shift calmly and confidently, because it has prepared for it," Ragheb said.
"The Egyptian state deals with the White House first. President Trump keeps the executive for two more years. But Congress holds the purse, and a Democratic Congress can now shape US military aid to Egypt in ways the president cannot block. Expect closer scrutiny of aid and arms sales in committee," he added.
Ragheb's assessment reflects the importance Egypt places on maintaining working relationships with successive American administrations, regardless of their political affiliation. However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... congressional control over appropriations and oversight could put additional pressure on the bilateral relationship, particularly on military financing and arms transfers.
Congress can attach conditions to assistance, conduct investigations, and influence future appropriations. However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... significant changes to spending legislation remain subject to the broader legislative process, including the president's veto authority.
Egypt remains one of Washington's principal military partners in the Middle East, a relationship consolidated following the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
But then, Egypt firmly believes it won the Yom Kippur War — believing three impossible things before breakfast is the Egyptian Way. In the real world, Egypt has been paid all these years to abide by the Camp David peace treaty, signed by Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin in 1979, and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter. President Sadat was assassinated two years later by an Egyptian army officer who belonged to the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (later sworn to Al Qaeda) for it.
US military assistance has long served both countries' strategic interests, including military cooperation, regional stability, and the maintenance of Egypt's relationship with Israel.
For fiscal year 2026, Congress approved $1.375 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Egypt, with $320 million subject to human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... and other conditions, along with provisions allowing waivers on national security grounds.
In October, the Trump administration waived human rights-related conditions for $320 million in fiscal 2025 military assistance, citing Egypt's contribution to regional security following the escalation involving Iran.
The election of a Democratic majority therefore raises questions about whether Congress could demand more oversight, particularly on human rights, weapons transfers, and the conditions attached to future assistance.
Ragheb, however, argued that Egypt has already considered alternatives should Washington reconsider its financial commitments.
EGYPT READY FOR EVERY SCENARIO ON AID
"On aid, Egypt is ready for every scenario. America gains from having Egypt as a friend, more than Egypt gains from the aid.
That’s certainly one theory…
Egypt has other sources of arms and other sources of financing. The Chinese and Russian options are open," he noted.
Russia used to have money — now they have a war with Ukraine. China has a bursting financial bubble. Saudi Arabia has more expenses and less oil income than they used to, much to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s mortification. Things are much more interesting than they were before.
"If Washington withholds aid, it has nothing left to punish Egypt with. Egypt can buy tanker aircraft from China, the S-400 and the Su-35 from Russia, and fighters from China's J family.
In theory, sure. In practice, with what money? Egypt is already going broke again — 55% of government spending is interest on government debt, while over half of the government’s revenue is actually borrowed, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
This does not worry us. Trump's term released some frozen aid, but it did not raise the aid's value. It did not solve the two core problems either, credit and cash flow financing," he added.
Although Ragheb characterized American assistance as unchanged, the fiscal 2026 military financing allocation was $75 million higher than Egypt's longstanding annual baseline of approximately $1.3 billion.
His references to Chinese and Russian weapons systems describe potential procurement alternatives rather than confirmed Egyptian purchases.
The broader question is whether a Democratic Congress could encourage Cairo to further diversify its military partnerships, or whether its established strategic relationship with Washington would remain strong enough to withstand additional political scrutiny.
Beyond relations between governments, the election results have also drawn attention for the success of progressive candidates, including politicians of Arab and Moslem backgrounds who challenged established positions on US foreign policy.
Among the most significant developments was the election of Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, making him the first Moslem elected to the United States Senate.
El-Sayed, an American politician of Egyptian descent, defeated Republican Mike Rogers after a closely watched campaign in which American military assistance to Israel, the war with Iran, and the influence of political lobbying organizations became prominent issues.
His victory followed considerable spending by groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which had opposed his candidacy.
For the former Bahraini diplomat, the significance of these victories extends beyond the identities of individual candidates.
"The success of several progressive, Arab, and Moslem candidates, despite facing heavily funded opposition, signals a noticeable shift in domestic political dynamics. Coupled with AIPAC’s decision to keep its donor list private and Trump’s election-evening comments about halting financial aid to Israel early next year, it is clear that the US-Israel partnership is no longer immune to public debate."
He added, "American voters are increasingly questioning unconditional foreign intervention and military spending, particularly in the Arab World."
The diplomat's assessment comes as Israel has become an increasingly prominent issue in American elections.
On October 21, AIPAC announced that it would stop directly endorsing candidates and making direct political action committee contributions, while its affiliated super PAC would continue operating. That announcement should be distinguished from the diplomat's characterization of a decision concerning donor-list privacy.
On November 3, Trump also announced that the United States would stop providing roughly $4 billion in annual assistance to Israel after the end of 2026, saying that an understanding had been reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement came despite an existing US-Israel military assistance agreement providing $3.8 billion annually through September 2028. President Trump did not explain how the funding would end ahead of that timetable, raising questions about implementation and Congress's role.
The political significance of these developments is considerable, although they do not necessarily indicate a consensus within the Democratic Party over future relations with Israel.
The confrontation between Washington, Israel, and Tehran represents another major concern for the region following the midterm elections.
The Democratic victory comes amid continued uncertainty over the direction of American military operations against Iran and the possibility of further escalation.
The former Bahraini diplomat interpreted the election outcome as potentially favorable to Tehran's broader strategic calculations, particularly if stronger Democratic representation limits the Trump administration's ability to sustain prolonged military commitments.
"Also from a geopolitical standpoint, Tehran seems to have been watching these developments closely. Iran’s strategy was never built on direct military confrontation on the US soil, but it instead relied on strategic patience, asymmetric attrition, leveraging prolonged negotiations, maritime friction, and high energy prices to strain US domestic optics."
He continued, "In Tehran’s eyes, a constrained Republican leadership and a stronger progressive presence in Washington could count as a tactical win in the current conflict."
The assessment points to the domestic political costs of sustained military involvement in the Middle East, particularly when disruptions to energy markets place additional pressure on American consumers.
Nevertheless, congressional control does not automatically determine military policy. The president retains significant authority over the armed forces, while Congress can influence military funding, oversight, and the legal framework governing American involvement.
The period between the election and the beginning of the new congressional session consequently presents an additional source of uncertainty.
"However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... the transition window leading into early next year remains critical. With full authority still in place until the new Congress takes office, a bold military move against Iran, and any subsequent retaliation across the Gulf, to set a new reality on the ground remains possible," the Bahraini diplomat said.
The diplomat's warning highlights the distinction between the political consequences of an election and the administration's remaining capacity to make consequential military decisions.
Whether the Democratic victory ultimately translates into a different approach toward Tehran will depend on the interaction between congressional pressure, the administration's strategic objectives, and developments in the conflict itself.
ARAB STATES BRACE FOR SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
For Arab states, however, the implications of the elections are not limited to Washington's decisions.
Regional security arrangements have undergone significant changes as governments seek alternatives to their longstanding dependence on American military protection.
Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... 's growing defense cooperation with Pakistain and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... has become one example of this trend. In August, the three countries signed a joint defense agreement intended to strengthen cooperation and collective deterrence.
Ragheb argued that these developments reflect a broader strategic reassessment that predates the American elections and is unlikely to be reversed by the change in congressional leadership.
"On regional security, the region has already adjusted. Washington stepped back from defending its friends, and the states of the region rearranged their own defense. Egypt works with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a defense pact with Pakistain and growing ties with Turkey. These arrangements are in place, and a change in Congress will not change them. A new trend is coming. Arab states will rely less on America for their arms," he said.
"They will build weapons together, through joint manufacturing, and turn to partners beyond Washington. No US election will change that when it comes to Arab collective defense and national security," Ragheb continued.
His argument suggests that the diversification of defense partnerships is increasingly viewed as a long-term strategic objective rather than a temporary reaction to individual American administrations.
Such arrangements do not necessarily mean that Arab governments intend to abandon Washington. Instead, they reflect efforts to expand their military options, strengthen regional cooperation, and reduce exposure to political decisions made outside the region.
This approach also helps explain why the Democratic victory is being assessed with caution rather than interpreted exclusively as an opportunity or a setback.
The new congressional majority may introduce different priorities concerning military assistance, foreign intervention, and relations with Israel, but Arab governments must also account for the continuity of American executive power and their existing strategic relationships.
For Egypt, Ragheb maintained that geography and regional diplomacy will remain central to the country's importance for both American political parties.
"Egypt's strategic weight does not change with an election. Gaza, Rafah, the Suez Canal, and regional stability make Cairo a partner both parties need. Egypt's strategy is clear. It does not side with a party. It sides with its own interests and works with everyone in Washington, the White House and Congress alike," he said.
[Jpost] Moath Hamzeh, vice-chair of UK charity Sun of Freedom, says the Home Office revoked his travel authorization shortly before he was due to speak at a London fundraiser.
Paleostinian-American activist Moath Hamzeh, a trustee and vice-chair of the UK-registered charity Sun of Freedom, announced on Wednesday that he has been banned from entering the UK after the Home Office revoked his Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) allegedly on the grounds that his presence would not be "conducive to the public good."
Hamzeh is a Paleostinian-American activist based in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was appointed as a trustee of Sun of Freedom in October 2024 and serves as the organization’s director of development and vice-chair. The charity was registered as a charitable incorporated organization in the UK in January. Its registered mandate focuses on relieving financial hardship and providing humanitarian relief to displaced Paleostinians in the Paleostinian territories.
Hamzeh was scheduled to travel to London to speak at a fundraising event for Sun of Freedom on November 6, as well as a documentary screening at Paleostine House on November 14.
In a video posted to Instagram announcing the exclusion, Hamzeh said that his ETA had been revoked shortly before his scheduled flight to London. Expressing frustration over the decision, Hamzeh claimed the government banned him "on grounds that are blatantly discriminatory, citing that I am not conducive to the public good in the UK, without any reasoning or rationale or any means to question or appeal the decision."
He contrasted his travel ban with British citizens who served in the IDF, stating, "We live in a world where over 2,000 British citizens who served in the Israeli occupation forces during the genocide of Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... — actual war criminals — have faced zero restrictions, investigations, sanctions, or bans from the country, leaving them to roam freely in the streets of the UK, while I, a Paleostinian-American fighting for the freedom of my people and for the end of the mass killing of our children, am deemed as not conducive to the public good by the UK government, and thus banned from entering the country as if I’m some sort of criminal."
Hamzeh added that he plans to participate in the London event virtually and addressed his supporters, declaring, "And I truly believe that this happening to me at this point in time has a much higher purpose, because if you know me, I am the last person you want to mess with, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter because there is lots more to come."
THE WATCHDOG’S ALLEGATIONS
The Home Office intervention followed a report submitted in October by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which drew on findings by online watchdog GnasherJew alleging that Hamzeh published antisemitic conspiracy theories, dehumanizing language, and threats of violence across his social media accounts.
Findings published by GnasherJew in September, and submitted by UKLFI to the Home Office and Charity Commission, allege a record of extreme rhetoric across Hamzeh’s social media accounts, including @mo_hamz on X (which has since been suspended for violating platform rules) and @aya.mo.llah on Instagram.
According to GnasherJew’s findings, in a video posted on X/Twitter in February, Hamzeh is shown promoting conspiracy theories connecting the Israeli flag to images labeled "Rothschilds control global banks," "control of Western leaders, news, & media," "pedophilia and sex trafficking," "9/11 attack," "USS Liberty attack," and "JFK liquidation." In the video, Hamzeh stated that "Zionism is a cancer to society," and added in a caption that "they are a cancer to society and must be excized [sic]."
GnasherJew’s report documented a video reel posted to Hamzeh’s Instagram account in August, where he allegedly said, "Israel does not exist, nor does it have a right to," as well as referring to Israel as "the world’s cancerous little cyst" and said, "now, it’s time to excise you." He further stated, "you might as well slit your wrist," compared Israelis to Nazis, and concluded the video saying, "You can run, but we will find you."
GnasherJew’s report further alleges that, in a video posted on Instagram in July, Hamzeh displayed images overlaying the Star of David onto the Great Seal of the United States on US passports and American police badges, asserting covert Jewish control over law enforcement and government institutions. GnasherJew also alleged that in August, Hamzeh posted a video wearing a T-shirt stating, "Israel is a genociding holocausting pedophilic rapist sex trafficking... child murdering terrorist."
GnasherJew alleged that, in a five-minute video uploaded to Instagram in August, Hamzeh referenced "Jewish supremacist tentacles" metastasizing globally, alleging that Zionists collaborated with Nazis during the Holocaust.
According to the watchdog, Hamzeh stated in the video, "When will we all stand up and realize that there has been one common enemy that we can all unite against? First step is to force them out of power, whether it’s through votes or other means. We far outnumber the ’chosen ones,’ so it’s time we choose the ones that serve no purpose in our society. You know exactly what I mean."
UKLFI raised regulatory concerns with the Charity Commission regarding Hamzeh’s commercial partnership with Warrior Ink Apparel, a clothing brand founded in Florida. UKLFI alleged that the brand’s founder has posted statements in support of Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... , highlighting a post from February 2025 that featured imagery of deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the primary criminal mastermind behind the October 7 massacre, alongside slogans praising the resistance and using profanity directed at Israel. UKLFI noted that Hamzeh collaborated with the brand to launch the "Mo Hamz Collection," with select proceeds designated for Sun of Freedom, and that the charity promoted the clothing line, including t-shirts reading, "ZIONISM IS RACISM IS FASCISM IS TERRORISM IS ISRAEL," across its website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
Following UKLFI’s submission, the Charity Commission confirmed that Sun of Freedom is currently subject to an ongoing regulatory compliance case and that the allegations regarding Hamzeh and Warrior Ink Apparel will be examined as part of that assessment. Following Hamzeh’s announcement of the travel ban, UKLFI submitted a secondary request to the Charity Commission, urging his removal as a trustee.
’WE SIMPLY WILL NOT ALLOW THIS’
Hamzeh said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post: "This is further evidence that the British government is colluding with supporters of apartheid to silence voices against Israeli genocide."
"We simply will not allow this racist decision to stand, which allows Israeli soldiers who have participated in genocide to roam London freely while I — a Paleostinian-American advocate for his people’s rights — am prevented from attending a fundraiser for a charity that provides lifesaving aid to Gaza," Hamzeh told the Post.
A spokesperson for UKLFI said: "The exclusion of Moath Hamzeh from the UK is a welcome step in protecting the public from bad boy rhetoric and antisemitic hatred. People who promote conspiracy theories about Jews and use threatening language against them should not be given platforms in Britannia. We now urge the Charity Commission to take equally decisive action. Someone whose conduct has reportedly resulted in exclusion from the UK on public-good grounds should not be entrusted with the leadership of a British charity."
GnasherJew told the Post, "We welcome the decision to bar Moath Hamzeh from the UK. Hamzeh is a director of the Sun of Freedom charity. Our investigation documented antisemitic conspiracy theories, dehumanizing language and apparent threats towards Israelis, including the chilling statement, ’You can run, but we will find you.’ This was not legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy."
GnasherJew added: "The charity he helps run continues to collaborate with and promote Warrior Ink Apparel, which we have identified as a Hamas-supporting outfit.
There it is. I wasn’t sure whether to file him under Hamas or the PLO.
That collaboration continues despite concerns raised with the Charity Commission and an ongoing compliance case. The Charity Commission must now examine Hamzeh’s fitness to serve as a trustee. The public deserves confidence that charitable status is not being used to lend credibility to antisemitism."
Sun of Freedom did not respond to the Post’s request for comment by the time of publication.
[Reuters] KRAKOW, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday and police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Krakow that the government said was likely inspired by far-right ideology.
Saturday's attack in the city's historic main square shocked a country that has prided itself on being safer than many of its Western European neighbours, deepening public concern following a string of school stabbings in October that officials linked to extremist content online.
Sixteen people were wounded in the attack, including two police officers and the suspected gunman, a 24-year-old Polish man who remained in a critical condition in hospital, local authorities said.
Krakow's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts visitors from around the globe, and several foreigners were among the casualties.
One of the people who died was identified as a British citizen, while five foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain were among the wounded.
In the suspect's home town, Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, about 200 km (124 miles) north of Krakow, police later found the bodies of his parents and sister at his home.
Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Daniel Prokopowicz said it was "highly likely" that the killings in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski and Krakow were carried out by the same person, but that investigations were ongoing.
The bodies had gunshot wounds, and seven firearms and a "significant" quantity of ammunition were recovered from the property, Prokopowicz added.
"When combined with findings made elsewhere in Krakow, this brings the total to 11 firearms - which aligns with our records regarding the number of weapons for which permits had been issued, both to the perpetrator and his father," he said.
[Jpost] In one document reviewed by The Jerusalem Post so far, an unidentified author proposed addressing disagreements over terrorism through a joint declaration condemning future acts.
Norway on Thursday released thousands of pages of documents relating to the secret negotiations that led to the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Paleostinians, publicizing material that had been kept at the home of key Norwegian negotiators Terje Rod-Larsen and Mona Juul.
Among the documents reviewed by The Jerusalem Post are confidential diplomatic correspondence detailing disagreements over Israeli security control, private PLO assessments of Syria’s support for Hezbollah and other gangs, and annotated drafts of the agreement showing provisions that were altered or removed before it was signed.
The documents, published by Norway’s National Archives and Foreign Ministry, cover the period from 1983 to 2003.
Among the documents are Juul and Rod-Larsen’s personal copy of the Oslo Accords, preparatory documents and minutes from the negotiations, strategy papers, correspondence, and records of meetings in Oslo, Copenhagen, and Gay Paree, as well as the signing ceremony in Washington. The collection also includes surveys of living conditions in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... and the West Bank.
The documents had been kept at the couple’s home before being recovered by Norwegian authorities. Their release follows a police search of the property in February as part of a corruption investigation involving the couple. The investigation is separate from the Oslo archive's historical contents.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said the release included material that would not ordinarily be part of a public archive, citing the historical significance of the documents and public interest in examining the negotiations.
OSLO MEMO REVEALS TENSIONS OVER SECURITY AND TERRORISM
Among the documents is a four-page memo marked "STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL," sent directly from Norwegian Foreign Minister Johan Jorgen Holst to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on July 27, 1993.
It records a 45-minute conversation between Holst and senior PLO negotiator Ahmed Qurei, known as Abu Ala, immediately following the 11th round of secret Oslo negotiations.
Holst reported that Abu Ala believed that the recent fighting in Leb ...an Iranian satrapy until recently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel... would not derail negotiations and said: "The Syrians sponsor the spoilers of the grinding of the peace processor — Hezbollah and the PFLP-GC."
He also said Syria would not seek an open confrontation with Israel.
The remarks provide a contemporaneous account of the PLO negotiator’s private assessment of Syria’s support for Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine-General Command (PFLP-GC), both of which he described as opponents of the grinding of the peace processor.
The memo also details disagreements over security arrangements. According to Holst, Abu Ala said Israel was demanding the right to maintain overall security during the interim period, including after Paleostinian self-governance began in Gaza and Jericho.
Holst wrote that Abu Ala interpreted this as permitting Israeli forces to retain internal security powers, with Paleostinian police subordinate to Israel even in autonomous areas.
THE MEMO RECORDS THE PALESTINIAN RESPONSE: "THIS WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE."
Abu Ala nevertheless accepted that Israel would retain responsibility for external security. The distinction between internal and external security was among the disputes still being negotiated less than seven weeks before the accords were signed.
Additionally, Holst wrote that Abu Ala believed that Israeli negotiators were influenced by American interests, particularly concerning UN Security Council Resolution 242 and Jerusalem.
Holst clarified that Abu Ala was not suggesting that Israel was seeking American support, but rather believed that the US had its own agenda that remained hostile to the PLO.
Abu Ala also suggested that PLO chairman Yasser Arafat could issue a public statement addressing terrorism and the PLO charter before the agreement was signed, provided its wording was agreed upon in advance.
Another passage describes Abu Ala’s concerns about lawyers' growing involvement in the negotiations. According to Holst, the Paleostinian negotiator said the PLO had brought in legal advisers partly out of concern that Israel’s lawyers could outmaneuver their Paleostinian counterparts.
Abu Ala nevertheless argued that the legal disputes were distracting from the political issues and that implementation would ultimately determine the agreement’s significance.
"When it is signed, it will be forgotten by everyone," Abu Ala said, according to Holst’s account. He argued that developments on the ground, rather than the agreement's precise wording, would attract attention.
A separate document dated August 16, 1993, titled "Where do we go from here? Some reflections on the Norwegian Channel," similarly proposed addressing disagreements over terrorism through a joint declaration condemning future acts rather than attempting to settle disputes over past actions.
"The issue of terrorism is a case in point. Definitions differ widely," the unidentified author wrote.
The paper also warned that mutual mistrust could complicate the final stages of negotiations, noting that "both sides harbor suspicions that the other side hesitates."
DRAFT AGREEMENTS SHOW CHANGES TO JERUSALEM AND PALESTINIAN GOVERNANCE PROVISION
Another document reviewed by the Post is a July 26, 1993 draft of the Oslo Declaration of Principles, marked "final positions," containing handwritten annotations in English and Arabic, deletions and proposed changes to the agreement that would be signed less than two months later.
The draft explicitly identified Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements, and borders as issues Paleostinian representatives intended to raise in future negotiations. In the final signed agreement, those subjects were listed as permanent-status issues without distinguishing between the two sides' negotiating positions.
The draft also proposed locating the Paleostinian governing council in Jericho, stating, "The seat of the council will be in Jericho." That provision did not appear in the signed declaration.
An annex proposed establishing a Paleostinian police force comprised of locally recruited officers and Jordanian nationals recruited abroad and trained as coppers. The text also called for a gradual transfer of responsibility for internal security and public order to Paleostinian authorities, alongside the possibility of a temporary international or foreign presence.
The final agreement retained provisions for Paleostinian policing, but specified different eligibility requirements for personnel recruited abroad, including Jordanian passport holders and Paleostinians with documents issued by Egypt.
Another provision in the draft addressed the participation of Paleostinians living in Jerusalem in Paleostinian elections, subject to arrangements agreed upon by both sides. Similar language was retained in the final agreement.
The document also proposed safe passage for VIPs between Gaza and Jericho, with the term "VIP’s" circled by hand. The final agreement broadened the provision to cover people and transportation generally.
The identities of those responsible for the handwritten annotations, and whether individual changes reflected agreed positions or proposals from one side, remain unclear.
NORWEGIAN CABLE DETAILS REPORTED IRANIAN EFFORTS TO OPPOSE OSLO
A separate confidential Norwegian diplomatic cable dated November 21, 1993 describes reported Iranian efforts to organize Paleostinian opposition to the Oslo Accords.
The Norwegian Embassy in Beirut, then operating from Damascus, reported that Tehran had sought closer cooperation with Paleostinian factions, including Hamas ..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,... and the PFLP-GC.
Citing media reports, the cable said Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... had allegedly earmarked $300 million to organize resistance to the peace agreement and instructed its embassy in Damascus to coordinate opposition activities.
The cable also described efforts by Paleostinian opposition factions to undermine the agreement. According to the embassy, Hamas sought to establish an alternative to the PLO, while several other groups called for continued opposition to the accords and the restructuring of the Paleostinian national movement.
The document also described meetings involving Paleostinian opposition groups, Hezbollah representatives and Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei.
However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... an embassy source who attended a meeting with Rezaei said they did not discuss practical cooperation or financial assistance.
The cable did not independently establish that the reported $300 million had been provided or that Tehran’s alleged instructions had been carried out.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said it had not distinguished between material considered to have archival value and material that did not, or between documents belonging in ministry archives, third-party material, and private records. It said the aim was to make available as much material as possible that could shed light on the historical Oslo process and ensure transparency.
[Rudaw] Syrian and French officials discussed the return of Syrian refugees during a meeting in Gay Paree, Syrian state media reported on Friday, as European governments step up efforts to repatriate Syrians following the overthrow of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... in December 2024.
Nahla Othman, director of Expatriates and Refugee Affairs at Syria's foreign ministry, met with Yannick Tagand, deputy director of the French foreign ministry's Crisis and Support Centre, to discuss refugee affairs and cooperation between the two countries, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The two sides stressed that the return of Syrian refugees should be voluntary and based on individual decisions, as Damascus seeks to facilitate the return of millions of citizens who fled the country's nearly 14-year civil war.
The meeting comes amid growing efforts by European countries, particularly Germany and Austria, to encourage Syrian refugees to return home following Assad's ouster.
Germany, which hosts one of the largest Syrian refugee populations in Europe, resumed a financial assistance program for voluntary returns in early 2025, offering to cover travel expenses and provide financial support to Syrians willing to leave.
According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, nearly 6,000 Syrians applied for government-assisted voluntary repatriation in 2025, with 3,678 returning under the program.
Austria has also pursued a more restrictive approach, becoming the first European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... country to deport a Syrian national directly to Damascus following Assad's overthrow. The deportation took place in July 2025.
Several European countries, including Germany, La Belle France, Austria and Denmark, initially suspended decisions on Syrian asylum applications following Assad's downfall, citing uncertainty over the country's political and security situation. Most subsequently resumed processing applications during 2025.
In September, Syrian and European Union officials discussed establishing a national framework for refugee returns during a meeting in Damascus, emphasizing the need to restore infrastructure, public services and livelihoods to ensure sustainable repatriation.
Despite the political transition, humanitarian organizations have warned that Syria remains fragile, with widespread destruction, insecurity and limited economic opportunities complicating the return of refugees.
France's Interior Ministry anticipated 170,000 people to protest nationwide Saturday, a day marking the fourth straight week of protests.
The country deployed 70,000 security forces to quell the demonstrations, according to the AFP.
"The risk is exactly the same as on previous Saturdays," Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, instructing authorities "not to lower their guard," AFP reported.
#2
Simple Fact.
A large group of people suddenly migrating to any country,over a short time,
* that brings with them a totally different lifestyle,
* that brings with them totally different culture and social norms,
* that brings with them a faith that calls for the death of all that follow the another faith,
* that setup communities where they clone where they left,
Have no plans to blend in.
They are a potential 5th column of insurgents, that will be used in a future takeover revolt, by those that actually rule over them in their closed communities.
[FOX] A long-serving member of the National Education Association (NEA) and the California Teachers Association (CTA) told Fox News Digital that major teachers unions have abandoned instructional quality to focus almost exclusively on accumulating political power.
"It's all about power," said Michael Greer, a special education teacher who spent 26 years as a CTA and NEA member. "In California, the California Teachers Association is the most powerful lobbying group in the state, which also transfers into the national union."
Greer — a retired educator with two decades of classroom experience who previously served as a local CTA chapter president and as a member of the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees — said the unions’ core priorities have fundamentally shifted since he entered public education.
"When I first became a union president, it was about the teachers. We were focused on helping educators become better at what they do — helping them teach reading, math, and science," Greer explained, noting that union-sponsored conferences used to feature practical instructional workshops and classroom training. "We took those programs back and taught our colleagues how to implement them. That has changed completely."
Greer’s remarks follow independent analyses revealing that the nation's two largest teachers unions — the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — have directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward political activism, lobbying, and progressive advocacy groups over the last decade.
According to an investigation by the North American Values Institute (NAVI), an education watchdog tracking ideological activism, the NEA spent at least $547 million on political activity and advocacy between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. That total includes $458.9 million officially designated as political and lobbying expenditures, along with $88.2 million in direct contributions to progressive organizations. During the same period, the AFT reported $383.2 million in political activity and lobbying, NAVI found.
A separate report from Parents Defending Education found that national teachers unions have funneled over $660 million to left-wing political groups and causes since 2015. When state and local affiliates are included, total union political spending tops $1 billion.
According to the Parents Defending Education report, those contributions went to major Democratic-aligned political action committees — including the Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — as well as progressive groups like the State Engagement Fund (over $60 million) and the For Our Future Action Fund (over $40 million).
Greer argued that this political spending has altered what unions expect from their members.
"What it has changed to is teaching teachers how to become union members, how to go on strike, and how to gain social justice power," Greer told Fox News Digital. "We got away from teaching teachers how to teach and moved toward teaching them how to change the social system."
The union emphasis on political activism comes amid persistent declines in student academic achievement. Federal education officials recently noted that national assessment data shows only about three in 10 students are proficient in math and reading, despite more than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer funding spent since the U.S. Department of Education was created in 1979.
Greer, who also serves as chair of the Del Norte County Republican Party, acknowledged that the CTA maintains relationships across party lines at the state level — including funding travel for teachers of both major political parties to attend state political conventions.
"The CTA actually funds teachers to attend both the state Republican and Democratic conventions," Greer said. "They will cover up to $800 for hotel and transportation, so teachers can participate."
However, Greer said his vocal opposition to the union’s shift from classroom instruction to political activism has made him a rare ideological outlier within the organization.
"That's why I'm known as one of the ‘bad boys’ in California education," Greer said. "I’ve spoken out because they aren't helping teachers on the ground floor where instruction actually happens — they are helping themselves gain the power to alter laws and regulations."
[KhaamaPress] Ottoman Turkish authorities detained 33,341 Afghan nationals in the first 10 months of 2026, making Afghans the largest group of undocumented migrants colonists apprehended in the country, according to official immigration figures.
More than 120,000 foreign nationals were detained across The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... between January and October, according to figures released by Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management on November 7. Afghans accounted for the largest share, followed by nationals of Syria, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... and Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... The latest figures show a continued rise in the number of Afghan nationals detained in Turkey. During the first eight months of 2026, Ottoman Turkish authorities apprehended 25,314 Afghans as part of nearly 95,000 detentions involving undocumented migrants colonists of all nationalities.
The migration authority said the detainees lacked valid residence permits or other required legal documentation. However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat... it did not provide a breakdown of how many were subsequently deported, released or remained in immigration detention.
The figures also showed that Ottoman Turkish authorities detained 11,089 people on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking and migrant smuggling during the same 10-month period.
The scale of the arrests comes amid continued pressure on Afghan migrants colonists in Turkey, where undocumented Afghans face the risk of detention and deportation. The actual number of Afghans expelled during the period remains unclear, as Ottoman Turkish authorities have not published comprehensive deportation figures.
The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... previously reported that Turkey deported more than 13,000 Afghan nationals during the first five months of 2026, highlighting the continuing scale of returns to a country already struggling with humanitarian and economic challenges.
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[Rudaw] A program run by the US State Department is offering up to $20 million and the possibility of relocation to anyone with information on Tehran’s nuclear program while the two countries remain at a stalemate over nuclear proliferation.
Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been a major source of tension between Washington and Tehran. While the United States has cited concerns over nuclear proliferation to justify its ongoing hostilities with Iran, Tehran’s nuclear doctrine remains opaque, with growing domestic calls for a shift in its longstanding policy.
Washington’s request for information on Friday reflects a redoubled effort to assess Tehran’s capabilities which have remained threateningly opaque since June 2025.
Rewards for Justice (RFJ), a US-State Department program designed to financially incentivise informants on security threats to the US, offered "up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran’s nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community, or the movement of any of the above," it stated in a post on X on Saturday.
The amount of $20 million is greater than previous incentives ranging from a couple of hundred thousand dollars to $15 million for information that would lead to the "disruption of the financial mechanism of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."
US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... has repeatedly cited the need to prevent nuclear proliferation as a key justification for his policy towards Iran.
"If we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today," Trump said on Friday night in Florida. "If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East," Trump continued.
In a more detailed post, RFJ cited a 2025 report from the UN nuclear watchdog, ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which had considered Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities to be "at a level that is a short technical step from the 90 percent for a nuclear weapon."
In June 2025, the agency reported that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... had stockpiles of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, a level Washington has repeatedly said is unnecessary for civilian nuclear purposes.
Washington’s offer, however, underscores the uncertainty surrounding Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
RFJ cited the IAEA’s loss of "continuity of knowledge" on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and inventories following Tehran’s continued prohibition of nuclear inspections since Israel and latterly America’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Israel’s "Operation Rising Lion" targeted nuclear sites, military bases, as well as senior nuclear scientists in a bid to prevent Tehran’s nuclear proliferation. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) listed 11 nuclear scientists killed on the operation’s first night.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, American and Israeli strikes have also targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, particularly the declared sites at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
As a result of these hostilities as well as a prohibition from Tehran, the agency has been unable to verify Tehran’s nuclear capacity.
While any remaining enriched uranium stock could indeed lead to an Iranian nuclear weapon, severe destruction at Tehran’s officially declared nuclear sites as well as a lack of credible information creates only more questions.
Fears of Iran’s capacity still remain, particularly at undeclared nuclear sites.
David Albright, founder of the Washington-based non-profit Institute for Science and International Security, which monitors Iranian nuclear proliferation, describes an ongoing threat.
"The nuclear weapons threat remains real; the regime’s intentions and efforts are unremitting," said a post on X earlier this month.
Albright’s institution has been monitoring an alleged nuclear site at Minzadayi, northeast of Tehran which was attacked by Israel in March of this year which considered it a facility involved in nuclear weapons development.
Through satellite imagery, Albright’s institute discovered "significant renewed activity" at the site which "may be indicative of an effort by Iran to establish a nuclear weapons development capability" following what was destroyed in March’s attack.
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to strike Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February, amid suspicions that the underground facility in central Iran is linked to a nuclear weapons program. However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese... the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not verified these allegations.
Fears such as these perhaps swelled when Iran’s nuclear proliferation was raised last week by the Iranian parliament’s deputy speaker, Hamidreza Hajbabaei, who urged big shotship to reconsider the peaceful nuclear doctrine of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Khamenei’s doctrine previously banned the use of nuclear weapons in Iran’s military.
However,
Switzerland makes more than cheese... Hajbabaei told Iranian state media that, "what the people are demanding these days is a change in our nuclear strategy."
"If Iran is in danger, we will use every legitimate and permissible means and tool," he continued.
While questions still abound on the likelihood of Iran’s nuclear development, negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain at a stalemate over the issue.
US’ demands that nuclear limitations remain on the table have been continuously met by Tehran’s renewed calls for Washington to meet its "seven demands", including the lifting of sanctions and naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, the Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i Prime Minister, the mediating party between Tehran and Washington, said that neither the United States or Iran have reached a comprehensive agreement.
has been reported and tracked flying a unstated un listed "training ☺" mission from Offutt to and around Mt. Weather & Raven Rock Mountain Complex late Thursday night.
[KhaamaPress] Pakistain has said no final decision has been made on the proposed transfer of Afghan refugees from the United States through its territory, as Washington seeks to remove more than 150 Afghans from the country.
Sajad Haider Khan, spokesperson for Pakistain’s Foreign Ministry, said on Friday, November 6, that Islamabad remained in contact with the relevant parties and was working to find an appropriate solution.
He said Pakistain remained committed to close cooperation and coordination with its allies and partners, without providing further details about the discussions or the proposed arrangements.
The statement came amid reports that the administration of US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... was considering deporting more than 150 Afghan nationals detained in the United States, with Pakistain proposed as a transit point before their return to Afghanistan.
Under the reported arrangement, the Afghans would be flown from the United States to Pakistain and then transported to Afghanistan. The proposed route reflects the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and the Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... authorities in Kabul, making direct deportations difficult.
However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... a federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Afghan nationals to either Afghanistan or Pakistain until Saturday, November 7. Judge Valerie Caproni issued the order on November 3 after concerns were raised that some of those facing removal could face persecution, torture or other serious risks if returned.
According to the News Agency that Dare Not be Named, more than 80 detained Afghans had reportedly received notices from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warning that they could be transferred to Pakistain. The group reportedly includes women, religious minorities and relatives of Afghans who served alongside US forces.
Afghan refugee advocacy groups and rights organizations have warned that returning some of these individuals could expose them to retaliation under Taliban rule, particularly those who previously worked with the US military or supported the former Afghan government.
Pakistain’s latest comments indicate that discussions with Washington remain ongoing, while the proposed transfers have not yet been finalised.
[Jpost] Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said the Palestinian delegation was seeking to use the current political situation to challenge Israel at the international body.
The Paleostinian delegation to the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... has been working with European delegations to draft resolutions seeking to secure assistance for Paleostinians, including UN commitments to protect property and sources of income in the West Bank, and condemnations of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Ynet reported Friday.
The drafts were also expected to include an official condemnation of Israel's plans to advance construction in the E1 area, as well as a demand for the UN to formally declare that it did not recognize Israel's presence in the West Bank.
Additionally, the proposed measures called for a policy of differentiation between the West Bank and the rest of Israel, Ynet reported, noting that the drafts were still being negotiated between the Paleostinian delegation and European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... member states.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR DANON DESCRIBES EFFORTS AS 'DIPLOMATIC ATTACK'
Despite lobbying efforts by the Paleostinians, the EU's 27 member states had failed to reach a consensus on supporting any of the proposed resolutions after a week of internal consultations. The Paleostinian delegation was expected to consider bringing the drafts to a vote without broad European backing, according to the report.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said the delegation was seeking to use the current political situation to challenge Israel at the international body.
They are trying to exploit the situation to challenge us from the UN podium," Danon said. "The Israeli delegation is working in close cooperation with our allies to confront this diplomatic attack."
The Israeli mission was working behind the scenes to soften the wording of the proposed resolutions and reduce the number of countries that would support them, Ynet reported.
The diplomatic effort came amid heightened international scrutiny of Israeli settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank.
In October, the United Nations Aid Coordination Office (OCHA) recorded at least 160 attacks on Paleostinians in the West Bank by bully boy Israeli settlers during the first two weeks of the olive harvest. The report also said the IDF and Israeli border police protected settlers and on occasion participated in attacks against Paleostinians and their property.
UN REPORTS RECORD NUMBERS OF PALESTINIAN DEATHS IN WEST BANK
A separate report from a UN Commission of Inquiry on Israel reported an increase in the number of Paleostinian deaths in the West Bank, with nearly 500 Paleostinians killed annually since 2022, which demonstrated the highest numbers recorded since the UN started collecting data on the topic in 2005.
In a September briefing to the UN Security Council, the UN's acting Middle East peace envoy Ramiz Alakbarov said he "strongly condemns developments related to the E1 settlement plan, which would effectively sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank and further isolate east Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank."
Danon has repeatedly criticized what he and other Israeli officials described as anti-Israel bias within the UN system. In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, he said the organization had become "a platform to incite against Israel," arguing that UN officials had taken an active role in promoting a one-sided narrative of the war.
At the same time, Danon said Israel needed to remain engaged with the organization rather than withdraw from it. "My approach is that we have to be in the room, and we don’t just leave," he told the Post, arguing that Israel's presence was necessary to counter accusations and make its case to other member states.
The Israeli mission is encouraging more Israelis to apply for professional and managerial positions within the UN, with Danon saying the Israeli voice needed to be heard "not only from the UN podium, but also in the corridors and meeting rooms where decisions are made."
[Jpost] TERROR AFFAIRS: Jewish activist Charles Jacobs has launched a global coalition bringing together Jews, Christians, Yazidis and other minorities facing jihadist persecution.
Jihadists may point to Jews and Israeli as being among their foremost enemies, but they are far from the only ones in their crosshairs. Across the globe, Druze, Christians, Alawites, Yazidis, Kurds, and other Moslem communities have also faced persecution at the hands of radical jihadist movements.
It is this shared experience of persecution that Dr. Charles Jacobs believes creates a natural alliance between the Jewish people and minority groups worldwide.
While sections of the Western left-wing movements have increasingly cast Jews as oppressors and booted them from the "victim bench," those with a real understanding of the dangers of jihadism have not abandoned that partnership.
For communities that have experienced radical Islamism firsthand, the jihadist threat is not an abstract political debate.
They understand that the so-called Red-Green alliance between Islamists and elements of the far Left is often united less by shared values than by a common opposition to the West, Jacobs told The Jerusalem Post. They also believe that those who stand with Islamists may find themselves among its next victims.
INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM COALITION UNITES COMMUNITIES PERSECUTED BY JIHADISM
Jacobs believes these communities recognize the importance of standing alongside the Jewish people, just as Jews have an obligation to stand alongside them.
This conviction led him to co-found the International Freedom Coalition (IFC) earlier this year, bringing together communities whose struggles have too often been treated in isolation.
As Jacobs would later explain, it is easy for the international community and private organizations and institutions to dismiss the grievances of a single persecuted group, but it becomes considerably harder when multiple voices come together, demanding to be heard.
Although the IFC is a new undertaking, Jacobs has spent decades putting its founding principles into practice. His work defending human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... and religious freedom spans several decades and organizations.
In 1994, he co-founded the American Anti-Slavery Group, which sought to combat chattel slavery and human rights abuses in Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... . The organization’s grassroots advocacy helped build the political momentum that ultimately contributed to South Sudan’s independence.
His commitment to the cause was not merely academic. While still only in his early 20s, Jacobs traveled illegally into Sudan alongside a rabbi on a mission to secure the freedom of enslaved people in time for Passover, the Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.
"What else should Jews do on Passover but that, right?" he quipped.
His earlier work included co-founding Boston’s branch of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis and, in 2002, he went on to establish the David Project, an educational organization focused on Israel and antisemitism.
He currently serves as president of Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT) as well, which is a Boston-based nonprofit that describes its mission as combating Islamist antisemitism.
Jacobs newest project, the IFC, is a non-partisan human rights and advocacy organization that was founded to confront global jihadist violence, expose Islamist influence, and defend persecuted or vulnerable minority communities worldwide.
ACCUSATIONS OF ISLAMOPHOBIA
Aware of the accusations of Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... that could be leveled against him and the IFC, Jacobs stressed that the organization supports Moslem victims of jihadist violence just as strongly as it does any other persecuted community.
Its membership groups include anti-Taliban ...Arabic for students... fighters, anti-Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... fighters, and Somaliland ...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells.... organizations.
He argued that those who invoke Islamophobia to shut down criticism of Islamist movements, including organizations affiliated with the Moslem Brüderbund, have often remained conspicuously silent when Moslems themselves are murdered by the very groups they seek to defend.
In a recent campaign, for example, the IFC paid for a truck to travel through bankrupt, increasingly impoverished, reliably Democrat, Detroit ... ruled by Democrats since 1962. A city whose Golden Age included the Purple Gang... carrying a message directed at incoming Michigan Democratic Sen. Abdul El-Sayed.
The billboard read: "Abdul El-Sayed, end your silence about the jihad murder and enslavement of black Africans in Nigeria and Sudan."
In Sudan, the Moslem Brüderbund-inspired Islamist government of Omar al-Bashir ...Former President-for-Life of Sudan. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself head cheese. He fell out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. He was overthrown by popular consent in 2019. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it... , which came to power in 1989 with the backing of the National Islamic Front, armed and supported militias responsible for abducting black African civilians, particularly members of the Dinka and Nuba communities.
Women and children were taken during village raids, transported away from their homes, and forced into unpaid domestic labor, herding, and sexual servitude. Human Rights Watch documented cases of children being sold in slave markets and women being held as enslaved people in domestic spheres.
In Nigeria, Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... and its splinter factions have kidnapped thousands of civilians, particularly women and girls, subjecting captives to forced marriage, labor, sexual slavery, and religious coercion.
The Post previously spoke with a Nigerian priest about the targeting of Christian women by these jihadist groups.
Sayed, Jacobs said, "should speak out. He has been repeatedly hectored with questions about whether his mother or sister is affiliated with the Moslem Brüderbund, but he can easily dismiss those as ’guilt by association.’ We are not interested in his mother or his sister."
"What we want is to help, particularly by reaching the black community, which has been kept in the dark about this news for all the reasons I have mentioned. It is not ’politically correct’ news," he said.
"These Africans need the help of free people in America. If Americans knew what was happening, I believe they would instinctively want to help. That is an American instinct. But awareness is being blocked by political correctness and fear of being accused of Islamophobia," Jacobs continued.
The campaign, however, was met with violence. According to Jacobs, the truck’s driver was dragged from the vehicle, violent mostly peacefully assaulted, and had his phone taken. Police reportedly insisted the driver turn off the signs, an incident Jacobs described as a "troubling" attack on free speech. He then insisted that more trucks would be sent to ensure the message got out.
"We don’t yet know the identity of the attackers, but we do know that the alliance of leftists and radical Islamists — by their own logic — simply cannot allow the American people, who instinctively would defend these African victims, to hear and see the truth," Jacobs said.
"It is troubling that the police forced the driver to turn off his signs. Are we going to allow free speech to be destroyed by physical attacks and intimidation?" Jacobs asked. "Anyone can Google images of Nigerians under jihadist assault."
Such images, he continued, can turn one’s stomach: "Men beheaded, people being buried alive, and mass graves."
"IFC members from Sudan, Nigeria, Darfur, and Biafra wanted black American citizens to see their plight and come to their aid. That’s what the truck was for," Jacobs said. "Those who desperately need to keep these atrocities from American eyes have reverted to violence."
Skipping down to the final section:
THE IFC’S ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR
Though perhaps still in its infancy, having held its inaugural conference in Washington in July, Jacobs was visibly proud of all the coalition had achieved so far.
He explained that even bringing together 15 different groups who are victims of jihadism, who thought they were fighting an individual battle, and making them understand that they are part of a class of people, a collective, was “a tremendous thing.”
“You should have seen how excited they were when we brought them together in Washington and they realized they were not alone,” Jacobs said.
Describing what he saw there, Jacobs said that “the Sudanese were talking to the Iranian dissidents, the Iranian dissidents were talking to the Coptic Christians, the Copts were talking to the Darfuris, and the Darfuris were talking to the Alawites.”
“It was an amazing thing. They saw it as empowering, not only emotionally but politically and diplomatically.”
The second major achievement, he said, was that the coalition was helping people understand that the problem is jihadism, not Islam or Muslims.
“The urgency is that people in the West need to see the enemy stripped of its religious garb. It’s jihadism,” he said, maintaining that the issue was not Islam itself.
Jihadists were the ones exploiting America’s commitment to religious freedom, Jacobs stressed. They avoid scrutiny by dismissing criticism as “Islamophobia.”
Asked what people in Israel and the West could do to sustain this momentum, Jacobs said the first step was to recognize that conflicts with jihadist movements around the world are interconnected.
He described this as a “flipping of the consciousness,” arguing that simply understanding the common threat was an important step in itself.
But awareness, he said, also needed to translate into action, including pushing for policy changes, sanctions, and local initiatives.
He pointed to his own campaign against a foreign-funded curriculum in public schools in the Boston suburbs, which he said contained false and deeply hostile portrayals of Israel and Jews.
Jacobs recalled how APT had fought the material largely alone, claiming that the IFC model could make it harder for schools and officials to dismiss such concerns as solely Jewish grievances.
Rather than having Jews raise the issue on their own, he said, future campaigns could bring in Hindus to speak about the historical persecution of their communities and Alawites to challenge the omission of their own experiences. Together, they could make the case that excluding these histories amounted to “erasing history” and avoiding a broader discussion of jihadism.
For Jacobs, this is what the IFC ultimately intends to achieve: ensuring that persecuted communities no longer have to fight their battles alone.
By bringing these groups together, he hopes to give them a platform to amplify each other’s struggles and draw attention to injustices that might otherwise go overlooked.
[Rudaw] The security chief of pro-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... Kataib Hezbollah on Saturday accused Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and his top aide of amassing billions of dollars in alleged illicit wealth, while denying that the gang controls commercial contracts at Iraqi airports and threatening to expose alleged plots targeting the Kurdistan Region’s Khor Mor gas field.
"How was your massive financial empire built, which Mr. al-Zaidi acknowledged, amounting to nearly (21) trillion dinars - that is, more than (13) billion dollars? And how was this wealth collected in a period of time not exceeding (10) years, so that perhaps hardworking youth may benefit from it in earning their livelihood," Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, Kataib Hezbollah's security chief, said in a statement published on Telegram.
Assaf also warned against opening files concerning alleged plots to target the Kurdistan Region’s Khor Mor gas field, saying: "We do not want to air dirty laundry in public, nor open the files of (Khor Mor) and the incitement to target it for the purpose of extorting the UAE; for whoever's house is made of glass should not throw stones at people."
The statement comes amid a prolonged standoff between Zaidi’s government and powerful Iran-aligned factions over Baghdad’s efforts to bring all weapons outside state control under government authority.
It also follows Zaidi's order earlier on Saturday to cancel contracts with three companies at djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... International Airport over their alleged links to gangs and transfer their operations to international firms.
Zaidi initially set the end of September as the deadline for armed factions to surrender their weapons, coinciding with the end of the United States-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq, before extending the timetable to the end of June 2027.
Kataib Hezbollah and other factions rejected the extension, insisting they had not agreed to the proposals, while Assaf stated in mid-October that talks through the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework's negotiating committee remained at "square one."
In his Saturday statement, Assaf dismissed reports by the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television network alleging that Kataib Hezbollah controls contracts inside Iraqi airports as a "blatant lie" and part of a "media war" waged against the pro-Iran Axis of Resistance®He also categorically denied that the group holds any relationship, partnership, or mediation role with the Iraqi Defense Industries Commission.
BILLIONS IN QUESTIONED WEALTH
Assaf directed sharp accusations at Hassan al-Zaidi, the prime minister's brother and head of media and security in the Prime Minister's Office, mocking his claims regarding faction-linked companies and investments.
"All the claims you boast about regarding investments, companies, and the like - whether true or fabricated as slander - we consider them in their entirety, with all their properties, a (gift) to you from the Kata'ib, to be added to your assets, perhaps to satisfy the greed of your eyes, which nothing can fill except dirt," Assaf said.
Calling on Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity to enforce the law without favoritism, Assaf contrasted the government's treatment of the prime minister's circle with recent corruption convictions against Iraqi politicians, including former MPs Alia Nassif, Mohammed al-Sayhoud, and Hussein Talib.
An Iraqi anti-corruption court on Wednesday sentenced Nassif to two years in prison for unlawfully profiting from public office - her second conviction in under two months after receiving a seven-year sentence in late September for illicit enrichment that obliged her to return over $46 million.
"If Alia Nassif is led to prison due to legal violations through which an amount of (4) billion dinars was collected, al-Sayhoud is imprisoned for (300) million dinars, and Hussein Talib for (40) billion... Will you kindly ask Mr. al-Zaidi: Where did you get this?" Assaf asked.
"Did he bring (21) trillion from the ration card supply contracts? Or was it amassed from the catering contracts for the Iraqi army in the Ministry of Defense, who complain night and day of poor feeding? Or from other deals and methods that are not appropriate to mention now?"
OIL DISCOUNTS AND RESISTANCE FUNDING
Assaf also pressed the Integrity Commission on whether it had opened an investigation into crude oil contracts with the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and "the massive financial discrepancies that are deducted from the sustenance of Iraqis in favor of the concessions of foreign companies and their partners among some Iraqis".
The query builds on a previous statement issued by Assaf on Tuesday, in which he accused Baghdad of selling Iraqi crude to ADNOC at a $47-per-barrel discount, and alleged, without providing documentation, that US special envoy Tom Barrack, Emirati official Tahnoon bin Zayed, Hassan Zaidi, and Iraqi businessman Saad Waheeb - founder of the Raban al-Safina Group and father of Electricity Minister Ali Saadi Waheeb - were splitting over 4.5 trillion dinars ($3.4 billion) in monthly profits from the sales.
Concluding his Saturday statement, Assaf questioned Prime Minister Zaidi's hostility toward the Islamic Resistance® in Iraq - an umbrella of Iran-aligned Shiite militias - alleging prior financial dealings with the factions during the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... war.
"You know very well who was donating money to the resistance during the al-Aqsa Flood battle, and how his money was turning into drones and missiles pounding the bases of the enemies; indeed, you know completely who was the mediator and guarantor for the resistance's funds before they became (unwelcome) - and five million dollars still remain owed by them - which is a matter proven with dates and official receipts," Assaf said.
Separately, the Iran-aligned Kataib Sayyed ...Arabic term meaning your/his lordship. Groveling in His Exalted Presence is encouraged... al-Shuhada gang on Saturday pushed back against official claims regarding disarmament, rejecting what it described as "inaccurate statements" by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
The group's media council confirmed that it had signed a "Sovereignty Agreement" alongside three other armed factions, the ruling Coordination Framework, and the prime minister, insisting that it remains committed to the pact's terms but "has not announced, adopted, or signed any position regarding its weapons."
Calling on government officials to exercise responsibility and avoid presenting "incorrect information to public opinion," the faction mocked Hussein for his "disconnection from the reality of events and his lack of familiarity with what is happening on the ground as a result of his frequent travels and rare presence in Baghdad".
The group added that it was ready to provide the minister with periodic briefings on domestic developments to help him "avoid falling into such pitfalls in the future".
[Rudaw] Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday ordered the cancellation of three commercial contracts at Mosul International Airport over the companies’ alleged links to armed groups, directing that the contracts be awarded to international firms, Iraqi state media reported.
According to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), citing a source, Zaidi has directed “the cancellation of the contract of 'Sky Plus' company for leasing counters at Mosul Airport against the backdrop of its links to armed groups, and its referral to international companies."
The source told INA that the premier also ordered the termination of contracts with Sama al-Matar, which leased the airport's uncovered internal parking lot, and al-Faisal al-Shamekh, which leased the airport taxi office, over their affiliations with armed factions, referring both concessions to international firms.
The Prime Minister’s Office also said in a statement that Zaidi had also directed “the expediting of operations at Mosul International Airport through contracts with reputable, specialized international companies” to jointly operate and manage the facility, improve its performance, and strengthen its role in transportation and the economy.
The move comes as Baghdad seeks to disarm armed factions and avert potential international sanctions amid the regional conflict that erupted in late February. It also comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Iraqi government and pro-Iran armed groups over efforts to bring all weapons outside state control under government authority.
The government initially sought to resolve the disarmament issue by September 30, coinciding with the end of the United States-led coalition's military mission in Iraq, but later extended the deadline to June 30, 2027. Several Iran-backed factions have disputed the timetable, saying that no final agreement has been reached.
In an October interview with the state-run brodcaster Iraqi Media Network, Zaidi detailed the motivations behind his administration's push to curb the influence of armed groups, stating that "during the period we were tasked with forming the government, Iraq was on the verge of international isolation, a situation whose danger is understood by anyone who lived through the blockade before 2003 and the repercussions and suffering it entailed."
Under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the US military formally ended its Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq on September 30, concluding a 12-year campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) from within the country and shifting bilateral security cooperation to a new framework.
"The absence of foreign forces means the absence of the justification that was presented for carrying weapons outside the framework of the state," Zaidi said, emphasizing that "there is currently no American soldier in Iraq, neither within combat forces nor in the capacity of military advisors.”
[Jpost] Turkey has interests in Kirkuk and the city of Tal Afar. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said, “We welcome Iraq’s reinforcement of outposts and observation posts along the border."
Iraq is trying to increase security in its sensitive Kirkuk region. The Iraqi government appears concerned about ISIS threats in and around Kirkuk and Hawija. These threats appear to have increased in the last months. US forces withdrew from Iraq on September 30 as part of a deal between Baghdad and Washington. The US had been in Iraq with the anti-ISIS coalition. With the coalition now largely ending its role, the Iraqis have to step up.
On November 5 the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) said it captured "a notorious suspect from ISIS gangs in Kirkuk." The ICTS put out a statement to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA). The Service announced that, "as part of its ongoing efforts to pursue the remnants of the terrorist ISIS gangs and track down their members, the heroes of the Counter-Terrorism Service have succeeded in capturing a suspect in Kirkuk Governorate."
ICTS is the country’s elite counter-terrorism force. It added that "the arrest was carried out based on a prior arrest warrant issued against him by the investigative judge responsible for Counter-Terrorism Service cases, and the necessary legal procedures have been taken in his regard." It says it will continue precision raids and "pursue the remnants of the terrorist ISIS gangs, thereby strengthening security and stability and safeguarding the safety of citizens."
TURKISH SUPPORT FOR IRAQI BORDER SECURITY Meanwhile,
...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco... The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... member, but not the most reliable... appears to be pleased with Iraq’s new border security. This matters. Turkey has interests in Kirkuk and the city of Tal Afar. "The Ottoman Turkish Ministry of Defense welcomed, on Thursday, Iraq’s reinforcement of outposts and observation posts along the border, while affirming the continuation of security cooperation," the INA noted. The Ottoman Turkish Ministry of Defense said, "We welcome Iraq’s reinforcement of outposts and observation posts along the border, and we continue our security cooperation."
Turkey has been assisting and supporting Iraq. The US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, is also the US envoy to Syria and Iraq. As such, it makes sense that Turkey backs Iraq, while the US works to support stability in Iraq and Syria. These countries are all linked. Historically, they are linked as well.
The Ottoman Turkish Ministry of Defense emphasized that Ankara continues to provide all forms of support to Iraq and says that "Turkey continues to cooperate with Iraq in the fields of defense and security."
Iraq is facing other challenges. The government says it recently detained three members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) al-Latifiyah, south of Baghdad. They were transporting 35 rockets of an unidentified type and two pistols, a security source told Shafaq News on Friday. This is concerning because the PMF has used 107mm and 122mm Iranian rockets in the past to target US diplomatic and military facilities.
In another development, Turkey has praised the possible reopening of the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline from Iraq to Syria. This is yet another reason for Iraq to keep Kirkuk secure.
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[IsraelTimes] The delegation arrived on Thursday to fulfill a pilgrimage envisioned by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967, nearly six decades after his planned visit was canceled.
A delegation of 500 African-American and African Christian leaders arrived in Israel on Thursday as part of the "Unfinished Business" pilgrimage, an initiative organized and led by the Black Christian Leadership Council on Israel Relations (BCLCIR).
The trip was postponed following the Six Day War and rescheduled for 1968, the year King was assassinated, according to the BCLCIR.
The visit seeks to fulfill plans for a trip to Israel envisioned by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. nearly six decades ago but never happened, BCLCIR explained.
According to the BCLCIR website, King planned to lead "hundreds, possibly thousands" of Black Americans on a tour of Israel in November 1967. The plans were detailed in private correspondence between King and then-prime minister Levi Eshkol, as well as former prime minister David Ben-Gurion, exchanged between January and May of that year.
The trip was postponed following the Six Day War and rescheduled for 1968, the year King was assassinated, according to the BCLCIR.
The council organized the November 2026 pilgrimage to mark what would have been the 59th anniversary of King's planned visit.
"For Black American supporters of Israel, Dr. King’s Holy Land tour represents unfinished business," BCLCIR stated.
STATE OF ISRAEL ACCOUNT CELEBRATES PILGRIMAGE
"At a time when it proves most costly, these brave leaders came to see Israel for themselves, led by their faith, a deep commitment to the truth, and in service of Black - Jewish community building, a special tradition built by generations of solidarity," the State of Israel's official X/Twitter account posted on Thursday.
"As part of their trip, they also honored Israelis whose lives were forever changed by October 7 and by antisemitism, including Elkana Bohbot, who survived 738 days in Hamas ..a regional Iranian catspaw,... captivity," the post added.
[Rudaw] Unidentified button men on Saturday assassinated a Sunni Baloch holy man who commanded a local unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, an affiliated agency with the Guards reported, adding that a dissident group may have been behind the killing.
Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday that Mohammad Yusef Qazi was rubbed out by unidentified button men while travelling in his private vehicle. Fanuj County police commander Hossein Ahmadzadeh suggested that members of anti-government gangs may have been responsible for the attack.
Ahmadzadeh told the agency that Mohammad Yusef Qazi was "head of the Qazi tribe, commander of the Mohtaramabad combat unit base and a trusted and peace-loving figure in the region."
The liquidation comes as Sistan and Baluchestan, populated mainly by Iran's ethnic Baloch and Sunni Moslem communities, has long faced deep-rooted security challenges, with Iranian security forces confronting Baloch gangs and those they deem a threat to state security.
Haalvsh, a human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... group that monitors the Baluch community, also reported the killing, identifying the holy man and IRGC commander as Shams al-Haq (Yusef) Qazi.
The group described him as a "prominent holy man with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and government institutions, saying he had promoted the Islamic Theocratic Republic’s policies in the region, particularly in Khash and Fanuj counties." The watchdog said his political and religious positions aligned with those of the government and the IRGC, and that he had played a role in implementing government policies in local communities.
The province has witnessed similar incidents in recent weeks. The People’s Fighters Front, a Baloch gang, grabbed credit for three attacks over two days that killed at least 11 IRGC personnel and members of Iran-backed militias.
So far, no groups have grabbed credit for the Saturday attack and investigations by Iran’s police personnel are ongoing.
In mid-September, Molavi Yusef Gorgij, another Sunni holy man closely linked to Iran's security establishment, was rubbed out in Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Haalvsh noted that Gorgij was widely regarded in the province as "someone close to government and security institutions," and that "his activities and positions were largely oriented toward supporting Islamic Theocratic Republic policies," including against anti-government protesters and critics from Baloch and Sunni communities.
Iranian authorities frequently accuse armed Baluch groups of carrying out attacks and festivities in the province, alleging that they receive training and support from the United States and Israel.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
...Republic of Somaliland is an unrecognised sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, recognised internationally as a de jure part of Somalia. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden with approximately 5.7 million residents as of 2021. The capital and largest city is Hargeisa. The government regards itself as the successor state to British Somaliland, which united from 1960 to 1991 with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. Under the Siad Barre regime, Somaliadestroyed ninety percent of Hargeisa Per international law, once you're in, you gotta stay in, no matter how bad it smells....
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
...Arabic term meaning 
...a 
